Well, all things must end. We set out on our return to the land of the brave and the home of the free. No slight intended, believe me. If you find anyone who doesn’t come away, after visiting Georgia and Armenia, with a profound sense of gratitude, check their pulse. If I was asked for an immediate impression of the places we visited, I’d sum it up in one…

Well today is going to be an “easy” day. The staff is having mercy on us. No visits to people living in unheated bomb shelters with blown out windows. No storage container families. No children being pushed out onto the dirty streets to kneel in mock prayer begging for money. No children sniffing glue to get away. No watching beautiful kids live all day long in winter clothes inside…

Day 7 Diary from John & Lila Tocci A Trip to Gyumri, ArmeniaJohn Tocci

OK, it’s Friday. I’m writing as we bounce our way back from Gyumri to Yerevan, the capitol of Armenia. It is a two hour ride, everything seems to be about a 2 hour ride from where we are in Yerevan. Gyumri was the site of a massive earthquake in 1988. Today much of it remains un-repaired and in…

Today we went to an Armenian orphanage. World Vision is trying to convince the government to phase out these institutions since 80% of the kids in these places have parents, albeit dysfunctional. It was tough to see this big old dilapidated Soviet-era building, central heat no longer working and old, rough wood flooring, basically untouched since it was built in 1968 except for…

“Crossed the border” sounds simple but entails driving to the border between Georgia and Armenia, obtaining an exit visa from Georgia at the first kiosk, having your visa for Armenia approved at the next kiosk, and at the final kiosk, registering as you enter Armenia. We said goodbye to our faithful Georgian chauffeurs, then shifted luggage to the three small Russian 4-wheel drives called Nivas…